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Just as the regular unemployment rate rose (U3), as more people looked for work, total unemployment (U6) also rose to nearly 16 percent.

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Today’s Employment Situation report showed that in April “total unemployment” including all marginally attached workers increased to 15.9% while the traditionally reported unemployment rate increased to 9%.

The traditional unemployment rate is calculated from the monthly household survey results using a fairly explicit definition of “unemployed” (essentially unemployed and currently looking for full time employment) leaving many workers to be considered effectively “on the margin” either employed in part time work when full time is preferred or simply unemployed and no longer looking for work.

The broadest view of unemployment would include both traditionally unemployed workers and all other underutilized workers.

To calculate the “total” rate of unemployment we would simply use this larger group rather than the smaller and more restrictive “unemployed” group used in the traditional unemployment rate calculation.

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